Mr Darcy's Lucky Stairs
by thevinylfreak
Summary: Elizabeth, in an attempt to escape Mr. Darcy when he catches her reflection in the mirror at Pemberley, falls down the stairs and breaks her collar bone, forcing her to remain with Mr. Darcy until she recovers. Complete


The melodious sound of the pianoforte wafted through the halls. As Elizabeth made her way through the halls, it came to her ears, and she could not help but to follow it. She came to a partially ajar door and could not help but look inside. Inside was a very ornate pianoforte, and at it was, she assumed, Georgiana Darcy playing away at the instrument. She was not sure how to feel, for she had heard that Miss Darcy was rather proud and arrogant like her brother, but having recently discovered that Elizabeth barely knew her brother, she doubted what she had heard of Miss Darcy. She could see her own reflection in the mirror across from her, and she wondered if Miss Darcy could see her. Suddenly, she caught a dark figure in the corner of her eye, and she heard Miss Darcy stop and saw her leap into the arms of her brother. He picked her up and spun her around and was about to ask her something when he caught Elizabeth's form in the mirror. She let out a gasp and darted out of view.

"Miss Elizabeth!" Mr. Darcy called after her, running after her. "Miss Elizabeth, please!" She ignored him and kept running. She came to a staircase and started down it, Mr. Darcy rather close on her heels, when she caught her dress with her foot and fell. She fell the rest of the way down the stairs, her arms covering her front, and she landed rather hard on the floor. She was sure she had broken something, and she couldn't move her left arm. "Miss Elizabeth! Miss Elizabeth, by god, you're hurt!" He knelt down beside her and tried to help her up.

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed, her left hand holding onto her dress. She crawled out of his reach, but he scooted closer and helped her up anyway.

"What's happened? Fitzwilliam, what's wrong?" called Georgiana from the top of the staircase and Mr. Darcy lifted Elizabeth into his arms.

"Miss Elizabeth is hurt! Call for a lady's maid or someone to change her into something comfortable!" he shouted, and he carried her to the nearest vacant chamber, which happened to be the room that would be the mistress' room.

"Mr. Darcy, I assure you that I am all right!" Elizabeth told him. He set her on the bed and kissed her brow.

"I am going to run for a doctor. Someone will be here quickly to change you into something more comfortable," he told her, and he turned quickly to run out of the room.

"Mr. Darcy! Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth called after him, but he was already gone.

...

Mr. Darcy paced outside of the chamber until the doctor emerged. Mr. Darcy grabbed the front of his coat quickly. "How is she?" he demanded.

"Its nothing more than a broken collar bone," said the doctor.

"My poor Elizabeth... She does not deserve this," said Mr. Darcy, running into the chamber as soon as the maid exited. "Miss Elizabeth, how are you feeling?"

"Mr. Darcy, I assure you that I am fine," Elizabeth said rather stubbornly.

"Dearest, the doctor says that you have a broken collar bone... I would like you to remain here until you recover," said Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth shot up.

"But what about my aunt and uncle?" Mr. Darcy gently pushed her back down onto the bed.

"I will send a message to them. I could tell them personally, if you would like. Please, Miss Elizabeth, I shall not rest easy until you are better. I cannot send you away while you are hurt." The love he held for her was so thick in his gaze that Elizabeth could cut it and eat it for dinner.

"Oh, all right... That does not mean I'll be thrilled about it."

"It won't last long, dearest. Georgiana will keep your company. She has been very eager to meet you." He stood and exited, and a few moments later, Miss Darcy entered. At first, she was a bit shy, but she warmed up quickly, and Elizabeth found herself enjoying her company.

After a week, Mr. Darcy finally let her get up and walk around. Usually dressed in her nightie (as it was such a hassle and painful to dress her with her arm in a sling), Elizabeth would wander the house on the arm of either Georgiana or Mr. Darcy. She was shown the grounds of Pemberley and the rest of the estate, and she could not help but wonder what it would be like to be the mistress of such a grand place. Another week passed, and Mr. Darcy offered to ride to Longbourn to retrieve her things.

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, you don't have to ride so far for my sake..." Elizabeth told him as they sat in the parlor listening to Georgiana play.

"It is the least I can do," said Mr. Darcy, taking her hand in his and kissing it. He covered her hand with his and looked into her eyes; Elizabeth found it very hard to stop herself from kissing him.

"Not tonight... It is too late. If you must, set out tomorrow morning," she told him.

"I shall do whatever it is you request, my dearest." That night, Elizabeth paced her chamber, then heard the sound of voices through her wall. She pushed back a tapestry that revealed a door, and pressing her ear to it, she heard the muffled tones of Mr. Darcy and his valet. His valet must have been helping him undress.

"You seem very fond of the young lady next door, sir," said the valet.

"I love her like no other," said Mr. Darcy.

"And you've placed her next to your bedchamber. That is highly improper, sir," said the valet.

"I wasn't thinking of propriety when she fell down those stairs... I was thinking of her and the pain she must have felt," said Mr. Darcy in a distant tone. His next words sounded like they were getting closer and closer to her. "My dearest, sweetest Elizabeth... I cannot do anything to make her see my love for her. I wish more than anything sometimes to just kiss her, but then I remember my place and I remember he feelings for me..." His last statement sounded right up against the door. "She said that I was the last man she could ever be compelled to marry..."

"Oh, Mr. Darcy... My dearest Mr. Darcy..." thought Elizabeth. She felt tears stinging her eyes. He was so in love with her, and his breaking heart was starting to become hers.

"Have you considered proposing again, sir?" asked the valet. Mr. Darcy's voice sounded further from the door.

"I have... Perhaps if she is awake, I'll ask tomorrow. If not, I'll ask for her father's consent and I will ask her on my return with her things.

"Is that wise, sir?"

"I sure do hope so..."

"Sleep well, Mr. Darcy." She heard his door closing and his valet's footsteps passing her door. She heard footsteps approaching her and heard a small thump on the door; Mr. Darcy must have been leaning on it again. Elizabeth could no longer hide the tears in her eyes. She went to her bed and prepared for the worst night's sleep of her life.

...

The following morning, Mr. Darcy had already left by the time Elizabeth went down for breakfast. She found herself unable to eat, which concerned Miss Darcy, and she stood and went for a walk. She didn't realize how much she really loved Mr. Darcy until now, and she missed him more than she thought she would. On the third day of Mr. Darcy's absence, Elizabeth and Miss Darcy were sitting at breakfast when Miss Darcy spotted her brother riding up to the estate rather quickly.

"It's my brother! Miss Elizabeth, it's Fitzwilliam!" Miss Darcy exclaimed excitedly. She grabbed Elizabeth's free hand and dragged her out the door and down the front steps to greet her brother. "Fitzwilliam! Oh, Miss Elizabeth and I have been so miserable without you?"

"Honestly?" asked Mr. Darcy, hopeful that Elizabeth really was miserable without him. His sister nodded and pulled him down to her level.

"She hasn't eaten much since you left and she also hasn't slept much. I've barely seen her!" Miss Darcy whispered into his ear. Mr. Darcy smiled, then approached Elizabeth.

"I have a letter from your father, Miss Elizabeth," he said to her, handing it to her. "Do you need my help to open it?"

"No, but thank you, Mr. Darcy," said Elizabeth, taking the letter. She struggled to open it, then huffed and handed him the letter. He opened it for her, took her hand, kissed it and placed the opened letter into her hand. She took it and excused herself so she could read the letter and write a response. The letter read:

My Lizzie,

It has come to my attention that you have affections for the very gentleman who is here to visit me today. He worried me at first when he arrived saying that you had fallen and broken your collar bone, but he assured me that you were well taken care of. He came for a few of your things, as he was informed that the doctor would prefer to keep you there for another month or so to keep an eye on you. I was highly impressed with the young man's gesture.

He broached a second topic with me, however, that related to matrimony. He begged and pleaded for my consent, but I refused to give it to him until I heard that you wanted to marry him. He agreed to take this letter back to you, and now, Lizzie, your fate is in your own hands. As soon as you receive this letter, I would like you to write to me saying whether you would like to marry him or not. I beg you not to tell Mr. Darcy your answer, for I would like to keep the gentleman on his toes. That is what he gets for getting involved with my daughter!

Yours,

Etc. etc.

Elizabeth was stunned that Mr. Darcy had actually done what he had said he would do the night before he left. She quickly grabbed a blank piece of paper and began writing a response to her father.

"I need this sent back home on the express," Elizabeth told Mr. Darcy after she had sealed her letter. Mr. Darcy took it and called for a servant to take it.

"Might I ask, miss Elizabeth, what it's contents were?" he asked her, his gentle blue eyes looking hopeful.

"No," she told him. "You will know soon enough." She tried to sound as indifferent as possible, as she did not want him to get his hopes up.

...

A few short days later, the Darcys and Elizabeth were dining on breakfast when a letter came for Mr. Darcy. He took the letter and read the front, then jumped up when he recognized the handwriting, and he paced the floor as he read it. Elizabeth stood as well, standing beside Miss Darcy as he read it. When he stopped, his back was to her, and when he turned, Elizabeth saw the gaze of the happiest man on earth.

"Oh, Miss Elizabeth!" he exclaimed, and he ran to her, lifted her off of her feet and spun her around.

"Mr. Darcy, my arm!" Elizabeth exclaimed, and he set her down on her feet.

"I am terribly sorry, dearest, but I cannot contain my joy!" Mr. Darcy told her with a smile on his face.

"Read the letter!" Miss Darcy called from the table. Mr. Darcy looked down at it.

"It says, 'Mr. Darcy, I have received a letter containing my daughter's response to your request of matrimony. I am thrilled to announce that you have my blessing and my consent to take my daughter's hand in marriage, as she has agreed to do so. She filled her response with words of an undying and unconditional love that she holds for you, so it would be harsh of me to tear you two apart. Without you, I believe my Elizabeth would shrivel up into dust. I ask that you make the engagement a quick one. Yours, Mr. T. Bennett'," Mr. Darcy read.

"You're getting married! To Miss Elizabeth!" Miss Darcy exclaimed. "Oh, excuse me! I must give you two your privacy for such a moment!" She quickly left, leaving her brother and Elizabeth alone in the dining room. Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth's hand in his and kissed it.

"My dearest one, how am I ever to repay you for granting me such happiness?" he asked her.

"I only ask that you write to Mr. Bingley and-"

"Request that he reconsider his affections for Miss Bennett? Yes, my dear, I have already done so." He kissed her hand again, and then her wrist.

"You have?"

"Yes, and I believe he is planning to propose."

"Oh, Mr. Darcy, that is wonderful! Now how am I to thank you?"

"Allowing me to kiss you is preferable."

"Perhaps on the cheek..."

"That shall satisfy me for now." He brought his lips to her cheek. "I must thank my lucky stars for keeping you here. Or rather, my lucky stairs." The two of them laughed and shared another embrace, then proceeded to write to everyone they knew to alert them of their impending engagement.


End file.
